Could New Argentina Voting Age Change Presidential Outcome?

By Brendan Oliver Bergh
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Argentina recently made a bold move and passed a new measure lowering the Latin Nations voting age to 16.

Argentinian Youth Celebrate New Voting Age. (Photo Courtesy of CNN)

Passed by overwhelming support by the representatives of the lower house, it passed the Argentinian Chamber of Deputies early last week. However the discussion turned bitter as deputies from the Chamber saw accusations fly between members before the opposition walked out in disgust. Without any opposition left in the chamber the resolution passed 131 to 2.

Lauded by the younger generation, they will now follow Brazil, Ecuador and Nicaragua whose citizens can vote at age 16. Voting is compulsory for all argentines aged 18 and older, which includes some 29 million people. However it will be optional for those aged 16 and 17, which will grant the vote to 1.2 million more Argentinians for the 2013 election.

Critics believe that it was made with the intent of boosting the incumbent President Cristina Fernandez’s chances in her re-election campaign for 2013.  opponents have said this change is designed to increase support for the Victory Front coalition in the 2013 legislative elections. With greater support in both houses, these opponent s believe it is being made with the intention of allowing Fernandez to run again for the presidency in 2015.

While the Victory Front Coalition has a majority in both houses of Congress, she would need the support of two-thirds of legislators to change the constitution to allow the first female Argentinian president to seek a third term.

While President Fernandez has reiterated that she is simply expanding the liberties of the youth of Argentina. she has issued no comment on any plans to change the Argentinian constitution.

Despite this deputies in both house have gather over 100 signatures from the UCR, PRO and Socialism parties who have promised to vote down any constitutional reform which would allow president Fernandez to run for a new third term. However many of them will be no longer in the Chamber of Deputies when that happens, and many have speculated that the new youth vote will win new for the Victory Front Coalition.

Whatever occurs in the future, the youth of Argentina are static with their newfound civil liberties, This despite cynics who have referred to the youth as the one of the worst social problems in Argentina. Rep Eduardo Amadeo of the Peronist Front party continued “ Education is worse. The consumption of drugs is worse. Employment is worse…. and now the government has discovered them and they say, we are going to vote.”

For further information, please see:

Los Andes – Deputies Opponents Gathered 107 Signatures Against The Re-Election – 6 October 2012

BBC – Argentina Voting Age Lowered From 18 To 16 – 1 November 2012

Business Recorder  – Argentina Lowers Voting Age To 16 – 1 November 2012

Washington Post – Argentina Lowers Its Voting Age To 16 – 1 November 2012

Two Foreign Workers Killed in Explosions that Rocked Bahrain Capital

By Ali Al-Bassam
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

MANAMA, Bahrain — Five explosions occurred in the areas of Gudaibiya and Adliya within the Capital of Manama between 4.30 and 9.30 am  last Monday, killing two foreign workers.  One of the men died after kicking one of the bombs in Gudaibiya, and the second one died in a hospital after he was injured by an explosion that took place near a movie theater.

Explosions in Bahrain killed two foreign workers last Monday. (Photo Courtesy of Russia Today)

Citizens of Manama were warned not to touch any “strange objects,” and to report anything suspicious to the authorities

The Bahrain State News Agency reported that the Minister of State for Information Affairs and Government Spokesperson Sameera Ebrahim bin Rajab, condemned the explosions as a terrorist act, aimed at terrorizing citizens and destabilizing the country.  Rajab said that the acts were committed under religious fatwas, ordered by religious figures who condone violence against civilians and policemen for the sake of their cause.

Rajab said that international law requires countries to protect its citizens by regulating religious speech and holding all those accountable who use such speech for the purpose of committing terrorist activities.  Rajab said that she believes that the explosions were targeting foreign residents, who “have helped, and are still helping to enhance the economic development of Bahrain for decades.”

Last week, in an effort to ease civil tensions, the interior ministry announced a temporary ban on all rallies.  UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the ban “could aggravate the situation in the country,” and pleaded with the government “to lift them without delay.  The US State Department responded to the ban, saying that they were deeply concerned.

The government also claim that the ban was established out of concern for the police, who have been targeted by explosions several times this year.

Patrick Henningsen, a geopolitical analyst, does not believe that the bombings are related to the protestors’ cause, or that it fits within their modus operandi.  “If the protest movement was behing the bombing, they would have targeted government facilities, police facilities to make more of a statement.”

In an interview with RT, Jalal Fairooz, a former Bahraini MP, who served in the government opposition Al Wefaq party, said that the Bahraini government may have been behind the bombing.  He referred to a previous explosion that occurred two months ago, where the government responded by capturing a village and later claimed that no bombing occurred.

Bahrain has been the subject of civil unrest since February 2011, when citizens gathered in the streets to demand more democracy and an end to discrimination against the majority Shia Muslim community by the Sunni royal family.

For further information, please see:

Al Jazeera — Deaths Reported in Bahrain Explosions — 5 November 2012

Bahrain News Agency — Increase of Terrorist Operations in Bahrain is due to Some Religious Fatwas, Says Minister of State — 5 November 2012

BBC News — Bahrain Bomb Blasts Kill two Foreign Workers — 5 November 2012

Reuters — Five Bomb Blasts hit Bahrain Capital, two Workers Killed — 5 November 2012

Russia Today — Coordinated Bomb Blasts Kill 2 in Bahraini Capital — 5 November 2012

Lawyers Denied Access to Case File after Discovery of Falsified Documents in Posthumous Prosecution of Sergei Magnitsky

By Alexandra Sandacz
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

MOSCOW, Russia – The Russian Interior Ministry recently announced that the investigation into death of Sergei Magnitsky is finished and the case file for the impending trial is prepared. The trial, regarding Magnitsky’s death while in Russian police custody, will be the first posthumous prosecution case in Russian history.

Sergei Magnitsky died almost exactly three years ago. (Photo Courtesy of The New York Times)

Sergei Magnitsky’s death, which happened almost exactly three years ago, sparked widespread criticism over Russian human rights. Last summer, police officials reopened Magnitsky’s case. Mr. Magnitsky was jailed in 2008 after being accused of helping Hermitage Capital evade $17.4 million in taxes. However, the allegations arose after Magnitsky testified against Interior Ministry officials for their role in an embezzlement plan.

During the Russian Interior Ministry’s investigation, falsified evidence was discovered. On November 11, 2009, Sergei Magnitsky was the first to uncover the falsified files. He wrote a complaint describing the violations and described his intent to expose the responsible individuals. However, on November 16, 2009, he was found dead on the floor of an isolation cell.

In the posthumous prosecution case, Hermitage lawyers uncovered the false documents in the case file. In reaction, counsel for Hermitage Capital filed 40 complaints reciting the violations such as concealment of evidence and conflict of interest. Nevertheless, the Ostankinsky District Court and the Federal Interior Ministry excluded all the complaints made. Furthermore, Interior Ministry investigator Shupolovsky denied Hermitage’s lawyer further access to materials in the case file.

On November 1, 2012, Hermitage lawyers filed complaints of obstruction of justice in responded to the denial of access into the case file. However, the response is not yet known.

A Hermitage lawyer stated in their complaint, “The case is an unlaw­ful crim­i­nal pro­ceed­ing which is car­ried out in spite of the evi­dence of inno­cence and despite the absence of a crime allegedly com­mit­ted more than ten years ago…Under the guise of a crim­i­nal pro­ceed­ing, the author­i­ties are car­ry­ing out a polit­i­cally moti­vated pun­ish­ment of Her­mitage, that lead to the death of Sergei Mag­nit­sky.”

The complaint continued, “Coun­sel was given mate­ri­als of the case file from which they have estab­lished evi­dence of the fal­si­fi­ca­tion and abuse of office,… the sig­nif­i­cant amount of mate­ri­als have been con­cealed from the coun­sel… Fol­low­ing this, Inte­rior Min­istry Inves­ti­ga­tor Shupolovsky act­ing in abuse of office and con­trary to the inter­ests of the pub­lic ser­vice, willfully pur­su­ing unlaw­ful pur­poses, has denied the coun­sel the access to the case file.”

Magnitsky’s family refused to take part in the posthumous proceeding. They believe it is amoral and unconstitutional. In attempt to prevent the proceedings, Magnitsky’s family filed three appeals with the Russian courts and several appeals with the Russian Prosecutor’s Office and the Interior Ministry. Each appeal was denied.

For further information, please see:

EU Reporter — The Posthumous Prosecution Of Sergei Magnitsky – 3 November 2012

Law and Order In Russia — Posthumous Prosecution of Sergei Magnitsky is Moving Forward In Spite of Massive Falsifications; Lawyers are Forbidden to See the Case File – 2 November 2012

The Huffington Post — Sergei Magnitsky Dead: Russia Whistleblower’s Death Prompts Mother To Call For Investigation – 2 October 2012

The New York Times — Russia Plans to Retry Dead Lawyer in Tax Case – 7 February 2012

Colombian Military Might get the Vote

By Margaret Janelle R. Hutchinson
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

 BOGOTÁ, Colombia – Serving members of Colombia’s police and military forces may gain the right to vote in elections if the constitutional amendment proposed by Senate Vice President Edgar Espindola Niño is adopted.

As the Senate debates granting the vote to members of the Colombian armed forces, officers fret over their future in a post-conflict state. (Photo Courtesy BBC)

Citizens serving in the public armed forces have been denied the vote for the past 50 years, a legacy of President Alberto Lleras Camargo (1945-1946 / 1958-1962) who famously cast Colombia´s armed forces as “guarantors of democracy.” Neutrality was expected of these guardians.

Espindola and others who support the proposal argue that Colombia has changed dramatically over the past five decades and that the members of the military and police should be able to cast their ballots like every other Colombian citizen.  Though there would remain certain restraints on their political activity.

The proposal states: “Los miembros de la Fuerza Pública podrán ejercer la función del sufragio mientras permanezcan en servicio activo, pero no podrán intervenir en actividades o debates de partidos o movimientos politicos.”

This roughly translates to: Members of the public armed forces may engage in the act of voting while on active duty, but may not take part in activities or discussions of political parties or political movements.

Those who oppose the initiative, say that Colombia´s democracy is not ready for this change; that the possible abuses of power are too great.  They fear that allowing the near 460,000 active forces the vote could distort the electoral process.

They claim that the hierarchical nature, size, and “ideological cohesion” of the military would render it a political force unto itself, greater than any other political party or movement.  Specifically, there is a fear that the chain of command would dictate to subordinates how to cast their votes.

The language of the proposal makes clear that, legally, officers would not be able to participate in campaigning, but some level of trust would need to be placed in service members’ capacity to act independently inside the voting booth.

Should the current peace process between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) culminate in a legitimate peace agreement, senior military officials are concerned about becoming targets of FARC political action in a post-conflict state.

The demobilized FARC forces would be reintegrated into Colombian society, and, as citizens, would trade the power of the gun for the power of the vote.

Both the FARC and the military have committed atrocities during the five-decades long conflict. The military fears that even if amnesties are granted, their amnesties may end up revoked once the former FARC rise to political power.

Retired Colonel Hugo Bahamon recently stated, “Look at what has happened in Argentina and Chile, where, 20 years on, the guerrillas who threatened the state are in power, amnesties have been overturned and now [former soldiers] of 70 and 80 years of age are being imprisoned.”

To Colonel Bahamon and the rest of the military and police forces, gaining the vote would provide an additional security guarantee to avoid the path of their South American counterparts.

For further information, please see:

Colombia Reports – Colombia’[s] Police and Military to get the vote? – 4 November 2012

NACLA – The Military’s Human Rights Record and the Peace Process in Colombia – 3 November 2012

BBC – Colombia’s military faces challenges over peace talks – 24 October 2012

El Espectador – Fuerzas Militares quedarían facultadas para votar – 24 October 2012